Choice Albums of 2022: Part One M to Z: Machine Girl to THE Zew.
December 15, 2022
The second part of the Monolith Cocktail teams favourite albums of 2022.
A recap in case you haven’t yet read part one
Well was I wrong last year when called 2021 the annus horribilis of all years. It has been soundly beaten by the shit-show that is 2022. The invasion of the Ukraine, cost of living crisis, another hideous wave of Covid – which even if the jabs are being rolled out, and the deaths rate, hospitalizations is nothing like the first wave back in 2020, is still causing major illness, absences and disruptions to a society already facing a heap of doomsday scenarios -, strikes, activism, fuel poverty, looming austerity, and the continuing horror show of a zombie government being just some examples. Yes 2022 qualifies as one of the most incomprehensible years on record of any epoch; an ungovernable country in the grip of austerity point 2.0, and greater world untethered and at the mercy of the harridans on either side of the extreme political divide, the billionaire corporates and narcissist puritans.
And yet, it has been another great year for music. Despite the myriad of problems that face artists and bands in the industry, from a lack of general interest to the increasingly punitive costs of touring and playing live, and the ever encroaching problems of streaming against physical sales and exposure, people just can’t quit making music. And for that we, as critics – though most of us have either been musicians or still are – really appreciate what you guys do. In fact, as we have always tried to convey, we celebrate you all. And so, instead of those silly, factious and plain dumb numerical charts that our peers and rivals insist on continuing to print – how can you really suggest one album deserves their place above or below another (why does one entry get the 23rd spot and another the 22nd; unless it is a vote count) –, the Monolith Cocktail has always chosen a much more diplomatic, democratic alphabetical order – something we more or less started in the first place. We also throw every genre, nationality together in a serious of eclectic lists: no demarcation involved.
The lists include those albums we reviewed, featured on the site in some capacity, and those we just didn’t get the time to include. All entries are displayed thus: Artist in alphabetical order, then the album title, label, who chose it, a review link where applicable, and finally a link to the album itself.
This year’s picks have been chosen by (Dominic Valvona), Brian ‘Bordello’ Shea, Matt Oliver, Andrew C. Kidd and Graham Domain.
M.
Machine Girl ‘Neon White OST-The Wicked Heart’ ACK
Billy MacKenzie ‘Satellite Life’ (Cherry Red Records) GD
Mai Mai Mai ‘Rimorso’ (Maple Death Records) DV
Review
Nduduzo Makhathini ‘In The Spirit Of Ntu’ (Blue Note) DV
Marlowe ‘Marlowe 3’ (Mello Music Group) MO
Luke Mawdsley ‘Luke Two’ (Spine Records) DV
Premiere
Simon McCorry ‘Scenes From The Sixth Floor’ DV
Review
Brona McVittie ‘The Woman in the Moon’ (Arts Council of N. Ireland) GD
Review
Amine Mesnaoui & Labelle ‘African Prayers’ (Lo Recordings) DV
Review
Milc & Televangel ‘Neutral Milc Hotel’ (Filthy Broke Records) MO
Modern Nature ‘Island Of Noise’ (Bella Union) DV
Tumi Mogorosi ‘Group Theory: Black Music’ (Mushroom Hour & New Soil) DV
Montparnasse Musique ‘Archeology’ (Real World) DV
Review
Mount Kimbie ‘MK 3.5: Die Cuts | City Planning’ ACK
Muramuke ‘S-T’ (Accidental) DV
Ali Murray ‘Wilderness of Life’ (Dead Forest Records) GD
Reviews
N.
Nicole Faux Naiv ‘Moon Rally’ (Bronzerat) DV
No Age ‘People Helping People’ (Drag City) DV
Review
No Base Trio ‘II’ (Setoladi Maiale) DV
Review
Noah ‘Noire’ (Flau) DV
Review
Che Noir ‘Food For Thought’ (TCF Music Group) MO
O.
Old Fire ‘Voids’ (Western Vinyl Records) GD
Review
Open Mike Eagle ‘A Tape Called Component System With The Auto Reverse’ (Auto Reverse Records) MO
Orange Crate Art ‘Contemporary Guitar Music’ (Somewherecold) DV
Review
P.
The Paxton/Spangler Septet ‘Ugqozi’ (Eastlawn Records) DV
Review
Peace De Résistance ‘Bits And Pieces’ DV
Penza Penza ‘Neanderthal Rock’ (Funk Night Records) DV
Le Pietre Dei Giganti ‘Vetie e Culti’ (Overdub Recordings) DV
Review
Plastic Candles ‘Dust’ (Paisley Shirt Records) BBS
Review
Plop & Junnu ‘S-T’ (Fiasko Records) DV
R.
Revelators ‘Revelators Sound System’ (37d03d records) GD
Reviews
J Rocc ‘A Wonderful Letter’ (Stones Throw) MO
Robert ‘Orange is the New Black’ (Antelope Records) MO
Scott Robertson ‘Footprints In The Butter’ (Subjungle) BBS
Review
S.
Salem Trials ‘Love Joan Jett’ (Metal Postcard Records) BBS
Review
SAULT ‘AIR’ (Forever Living Originals) ACK
Review
Say What ‘S-T’ (We Jazz) DV
Review
Shabaka ‘Afrikan Culture’ (Verve/Impulse!) DV
Ignacio Simón ‘Old Friends’ (Bandcamp) GD
Review
Širom ‘The Liquefied Throne Of Simplicity’ (Glitterbeat) DV
Sis ‘Gnani’ (Native Cat Recordings) GD
Review
Silverbacks ‘Archive Material’ (Full Time Hobby) GD
Review
The Soft Pink Truth ‘Is It Going to Get Any Deeper Than This?’ ACK
Spygenius ‘Jobbernowl’ (Big Stir Records) BBS
Review
Staraya Derevnya ‘Boulder Blues’ (Ramble Records) DV
Review
Stepbrothers featuring the Honourable Ted ‘S/T’ EP (German Shepherd Records) GD
Review
Shepard Stevenson ‘Man Down’ (Somewherecold) DV
Review
Stereolab ‘Pulse of the Early Brain’ (Duophonic and Warp Records) GD
Robert Stillman ‘What Does It Mean To Be American’ (Orindal Records) DV
Carl Stone ‘We Jazz Reworks Vol. 2’ (We Jazz) DV
Review
Gillian Stone ‘Spirit Photographs’ DV
Review
STS & RJD2 ‘Escape From Sweet Auburn’ (RJ’s Electrical Connections) MO
Misha Sultan ‘Roots’ (Hive Mind) DV
Review
Sweeney ‘Stay for the Sorrow’ (Sound in Silence) GD
Review
T.
Team Play ‘Wishes And Desire’ (Soliti) DV
Mauricio Takara and Carla Boregas ‘Grande Massa D’Agua’ (Hive Mind) DV
Review
Tone Of Voice Orchestra ‘S-T’ (Stunt Records) DV
Review
Trupa Trupa ‘B Flat A’ (Glitterbeat) DV
Review
V.
Various/Solidary ‘Blue And Yellow’ & ‘Yellow And Blue: Help For Ukraine’ (Binaural Space) DV
Review
Various ‘Live at WOMAD 1982’ (Real World) DV
Review
Various ‘Mensajes del Agua: Nuevos Sonidos Desde Peru Vol 1’ (Buh Records) DV
Various ‘Music For Ukraine’ (We Jazz) DV
Review
Various ‘Pierre Barouh And The Saravah Sound: Jazz, Gumbo And Other Hallucinatory Grooves’ (WEWANTSOUNDS) DV
Review
Various ‘Spirit Of France’ (Spiritmuse) DV
Review
Vera Di Lecce ‘Alter Of Love’ DV
Violet Nox ‘Eris Wakes’ (Infinity Vine) DV
Review
Vukovar ‘The Body Abdicator’ (Other Voices) DV/BBS
Review
W.
Wish Master & Axel Holy ‘First Nature’ (Official Recordings) MO
Ethan Wood ‘Burnout’ (Whatever’s Clever) DV
Review
Billy Woods ‘Aethiopes’ & ‘Church’ (Backwoodz Studioz) MO
X.
Iannis Xenakis ‘Electroacoustic Works’ (Karlrecords) ACK
Z.
THE Zew ‘IFI1IFO’ (Numavi Records) BBS
Review
Hi, my name is Dominic Valvona and I’m the Founder of the music/culture blog monolithcocktail.com For the last ten years I’ve featured and supported music, musicians and labels we love across genres from around the world that we think you’ll want to know about. No content on the site is paid for or sponsored and we only feature artists we have genuine respect for /love. If you enjoy our reviews (and we often write long, thoughtful ones), found a new artist you admire or if we have featured you or artists you represent and would like to buy us a coffee at https://ko-fi.com/monolithcocktail to say cheers for spreading the word, then that would be much appreciated.
Brian ‘Bordello’ Shea’s Rave Reviews Roundup
Singles/EPS.
Papercuts ‘Lodger’
(Labelman) 1st April 2022
The press release describes this lovely slice of 60’s influenced psych as “woozy West Coast Psychedelia”: and for once the press release got it right. It must be a red flag day or at least a woozy psychedelic coloured one, for this is a smashing single, smashing being my word of the day, one that is said in an archetypical working class northern way with flat cap and everything, maybe even a whippet by one’s side and married to a girl called Vera who I shall call our Vera and say our Vera is a grand lass and is partial to a bit of woozy West Coast Psychedelia. So is well chuffed with this foot tapper.
Adam Walton ‘Cloudburst EP’
(The Immediate)
This is a rather beautiful 4 track EP of acoustic wonder; songs that skirt and skate around the mind, plucking at the heartstrings, reminding me how much I used to like Ben And Jason albums and why songs of mellow introspection can sometimes scream and move and excite you as much as an angst ridden punk rocker of a number, as these 4 songs prove. An acoustic guitar and talent for melody is sometimes all you need and Adam Walton has both of these things. An EP to cherish and hold close, and fans of Elliot Smith and McCartney acoustic balladry circa 1968 should really enjoy this.
Pit Pony ‘Black Tar’
(Clue Records)
Ah, the joyful sound of young people with guitars is something I will never get tired of when it is performed with such passion and style. They give one hope for the future, and I think Pit Pony might have a future worth living, with all their angst and youthful musical aggression and attitude. They certainly seem to be a step up from a lot of the alt guitar bands I get clocking up my email. A band to watch I think.
Crows ‘Garden Of England’
(Bad Vibrations Records)
A tromboncino of a track is what we have here. Yes, a true piece of British rock ‘n’ roll or punk ‘n’ roll if you like or, even if you do not like I am at this point in life uncaring one way or another but either way a rather good soundtrack to kick around the decaying corpse of Brexit. Yes, how well did that go.
Oh Boris, you are a cunt, but sadly you are not alone in that field of nationalistic gung ho-ness; how your supporters must be slapping themselves on the back at their good sense because how on earth would we be getting through the pandemic without your leadership qualities, and I am sure we have the right man at the helm steering us through the troubled European waters of the Ukraine invasion. We need songs and bands like this singing songs of life and politics. As the great Edwyn Collins once sang, “too many protest singers not enough protest songs.” So thank the lord for the likes of the excellent Crows, showing that there is life in the old guitar yet.
Albums..
The Monochrome Set ‘Allhallowtide’
(Tapeate Records) 11th March 2022
Allhallowtide kicks off with the title track, which is a rather fetching 60s beat band croon of a track, part Scott Walker part The Left Banke. And a fine way to kick off this the latest album from the guitar band veterans. And what a fine and enjoyable album it is as well; a true black polo neck jumper of an album; the kind of album that would soundtrack Napoleon Solo and April Dancer nights of near passion; a pure beatastic swirl of sophistication, all whammy bar red Fender guitars and whirling organs.
Shelterheart ‘Shelterheart’
(Perpetual Doom) 8th April 2022
This album is nothing more or nothing less than a well written well-crafted album of songs; songs that dip their toes in pop, folk and Americana with some rather fine embellishments, with ‘Empty Pockets’ reminding me of both ELO and Wilco. It will no doubt be the radio hit of the bunch. I feel shelterheart could well be one of those albums the more you listen to it more the hooks and melodies will take hold and slowly become part of your everyday life and soundtrack any part of your day. This is an album that could quite as easily be listened to over breakfast as to before winding down for the day, its own sweetness and melancholy etching its way onto your heart.
Chlorinefields ‘Reclaim Your Brain’
(Radical Documents)
Chlorinefields make rather a beautiful easy laid-back lazy wash of a sound: the sound of a hug maybe. Gently strummed guitars and floating vocals casts you adrift in a sea of indie tranquillity; a hypnotic journey into the mind’s eye, slightly psychedelic slightly muffled FM radio hidden under the pillows of your bed, the quilt holding the tales of all those names you so long to utter in the throes of passion. The soundtrack to the unmade film playing in your head; an explosion of silent thoughts and lackadaisical wishes, this is the sound of a young person’s dream and a rather beautiful and pleasing dream at that.
Plastic Candles ‘Dust’
(Paisley Shirt Records)
There is something utterly bewitching about this release. It has a lo-fi warmth that one can lose themselves in. It’s how I imagine the My Bloody Valentine bedroom demos might have sounded, except I probably prefer Plastic Candles subtle beautiful madness to the out and out bombast of MBV.
The Plastic Candles have mastered the art of a frayed melody: as so many tracks on this album demonstrates all too well. The final track on the album ‘Pacific Blue’ is well worth the price of the cassette on its own, the sound of a chocolate heart melting on the lips of the one you so long to kiss. One of the most beautiful tracks I have heard this year. Another fine release from the quite essential Paisley Shirt Records.
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